Irrigation apparatus.



wJH. COLES IRRIGATION APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.2I. I9I5.

1,259,21 1. Patented m. 12, 1918.

WALTER H. COLES, or TROY, OHIO.

IRRIGATION APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 12,1918.

Application filed April 21, 1915. Serial No. 22,889.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER H. CoLEs, a

citizen of the United States, and a. resident of the city of'Troy, in the county of Miami and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'Irrigation Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to irrigation apparatus in which water is sprayed or sprinkled over the surface to be irrigated by means of pipes singly or in series. Such pipes have either a single row of nozzles and are rotated slowly, or are provided with nozzles arranged radially so as to gain proper dis-- tribution without rotation.

In either instance, the pipe or pipes are preferably set overhead, allowing sufficient space for a horse to pass beneath them, and are permanently installed in that position. In this type of apparatus, the nozzles are customarily of a structure adapted to allow but a tiny jet of water to escape, and they are accordingly provided with a very small jet opening. This size of opening, although much efiort has been employed to free it as much as possible from the defect, is liable to become clogged. When this happens, it has heretofore been necessary for a man to go around with a ladder and, using a pin or probe, to clean out the jet openings. This entailed much trouble, and great inconvenience, but has been necessary to obtain proper water distribution, because even distribution is deemed requisite for successful irrigation.

In the type of nozzle which has a smaller outlet than inlet, there can easily collect around the outlet a lot of particles of dirt which cannot be dislodged except by the tedious method noted. In the type of nozzle, however, which has a small or minute inlet from the sprinkler pipe, any dirt which will collect will lie within the sprinkler pipe and not within the nozzle, and a means which will clean the pipes will wash away stoppage from the nozzles.

It is the object of this invention to provide a means of cleaning out the nozzles of such a system of pipes, by a method analogous to flushing them, and this object is accom plished by that certain construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter speeifically pointed out and claimed.

In the drawings,

Figure l is a diagrammatic view of a sprinkler pipe system.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one pipe of such a system.

Fig. 3 is a central vertical section through a nozzle on a larger scale.

The system is made up of a set of parallel pipes 1, 1, set on standards 2, 2, and rotated in an arc of, say, one hundred and twenty degrees or thereabout, by yokes 3 and cables l. The pipes are supplied from a stationary supply pipe 5 and have revoluble couplings 6, 6, with said stationary pipe.

Each pipe has a series of nozzles 7 7, set in a line. These nozzles have mouths 8, thin inner walls 9 extending into the pipes and small jet openings 10, through which a jet of water 11 is forced when the system is in operation.

The nature of the nozzles so long as the jet opening is a small one, does not particularly affect the application of my invention, nor

is its application to be limited only to the revolving multiple line irrigating system, as it may be used in pipes which are fixed and non-rotatable, or in single rotatable lines, as will be obvious. The nozzles also may be of the type which have numerous tiny spray openings rather than one, although the chief value is in cleansing the type of nozzles shown and described.

At the end of each pipe which is fitted with jet forming or spraying nozzles, is an escape valve A. This valve has a spring stem 12, and anoutlet 13. The interior construction of the valve can be of any desired type so that a spring presses the stem normally up and the valve throw is downward. This can be accomplished by providing a chamber 14;, with seat 15 for a valve 16. A small spring 17 presses up the stem, and pivotally mounted on brackets 18 secured to the valve casing is an arm 19 for depressing the stem.

This arm 19 has a chain 20 at its extremity, and by pulling down on the chain, the valve is opened, automatically closing upon release of the chain.

This valve and pull chain structure is merely the preferred form, the purpose being to provide a valve which can be opened by an operator standing on the ground, and will automatically close.

Extending down from the revoluble couplings 6 are outflow pipes 21, having caps 22 thereon, and located on the branches 23 from the trunk pipe 5, which lead into these couplings are the ordinary valves 24.

It has been discovered that the bits of sediment which collect about the tiny jet openings are held by the pressure of the water flowing out through the openings. When the currentis altered in strength and direction by a release of pressure in the valves A, it results that the sudden increase in flow th oughv the pipe ofthe Wa er, and

water might also be drained through the valves A in this instance, however The shuttingon and off the valve 24 in some cases would be sufficient to clear-the pipe provided the dirt were of a size to pass th o gh the noz les The device is naturally a simple one and admits o c n i r e ar t on The P- erator. ordinarily merely pulls down the chain for a moment and repeats the opera: tion it necessary, thereby cleaning out all Accordingly the he nozzles inone pipe. The valve closes automatically upon releasing the chain. It the valves. do not clean, the operator shuts the water oil, drains the pipe, and then flushes out again if necessary. 7

Having thus described my invention, what I claim'as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, iS: -V I 1. The combination with a sprinkler pipe, a series otrestricted nozzle therein, valve t o e end o t e Pipe h n large'outlet for flushing, inlet valve'at the other end of the pipe for supplying Water, and amember having an outlet for draining the pipe toward the inlet valve end, said member being located in the pipe beyond the inlet end thereof.

2,111 combination with a sprinkler pipe, 7

a series of restricted nozzlestherein, said nozzles having inlets adapted to be cleansed by a flow f t r n the p pe, a va ve at one end of the pipe having a large outlet for flushing, an inlet valve at the other end of the pipe for supplying water, and member bearing an outlet for draining the pipe towardthe inlet valve end, said mem ber being locatedin the pipe beyond the inlet valve. r

, WALTER H. eoLEs.

Witne s: WlL IA KATHERINE SMELL Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the {Qommissiqner of Patents,

' Washington, D. 0. 

